Wringing apparatus



April 24, 1962 N. B. GREENLEAF WRINGING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 27, 1959 INVENTCIF Illllldr April 24, 1962 N. B. GREENLEAF WRINGING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 27, 1959 INVEZNTDR United States Fatent 3,030,648 WRMGING APPARATUS Nathaniel B. Greenleaf, 77 York St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed July 27, 1959, Ser. No. 829,829 9 Claims. (Cl. 15-119) This invention relates to a wringing apparatus for a sponge mop and more particularly to a mop of the type wherein a mop head supports an elongated sponge block transversely of the handle and has appended thereto a wringer or pressure plate which is adapted to be manually swung from a position above and a-t one side of the mop head to a wringing position therebeneath to engage and compress the mopping element.

In order to squeeze the mopping element the mop handle and pressure plate handle must be grasped in such a manner that both the body of the user and his hands are exposed to the mopping solution expelled from the sponge. Moreover, this operation is awkward to perform.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a wringing apparatus for such aforementioned mop constructions or the like which will be `operable from a position above the mop head so that the user may direct the expelled iluid away from the body.

It is also another important object of this invention to provide a wringing apparatus which can be operated with little elfort.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a wringing apparatus for such aforesaid mop constructions which will urge the pressure or wringer plate to the full wringing position and thoroughly compress the mopping element from one side to the other.

Another very important object of this invention is to provide a wringing apparatus of simple construction to facilitate low cost manufacture.

The principal feature of this invention resides in providing a support formation for a compressible mopping element or the like having a pressure or wringing member hinged along one edge to swing from an inoperative position at one side of the support formation to a wringing position therebeneath, with a substantially inverted U- shaped lever formation connected to swing about a fixed pivot axis substantially parallel to the hinge axis of said pressure member and located centrally above said support formation, the U-shaped lever formation having an extent and being disposed that on swinging it presents the open side of t-he U to receive the support formation and rthe pressure member therewithin, the outer end of the U-shaped lever formation being pivotally and slidably connected to the pressure or wringing member whereby the pressure member is adapted to be swung from its inoperative position to its full wringing position and reversely and a reciprocable hand grip formation mounted on the handle for actuating the U-shaped lever member.

More particularly, the principal feature of this invention resides in providing a U-shaped lever formation as aforesaid which is dened by a pair of U-shaped members spaced apart to receive and register with the upstanding handle of the mop, the U-shaped members being mounted on fixed pivot means at one end and presenting a connecting pin formation at the opposite end which is adapted to be disposed within a slotted camming and guideway formation mounted on the pressure member and extending at right angles to its hinge axis whereby the U-shaped lever formation is adapted to swing the pressure member from a position substantially over the support formation, with the mop handle received between the U-shaped members to a full wringing position with rsfice the pressure member urged upwardly against the compressible mopping element and with the outer arm of the U-shaped lever vformation extending substantially fully thereunder.

Another feature of this invention resides in providing a mop construction as aforesaid in which the hand grip formation, slidably mounted on the handle of the mop, and the U-shaped lever formation are connected by a link member of angular coniiguration whereby the U- shaped lever formation can be displaced below the support vformation and the pressure member to the full wringing position.

These and other objects and features are described in the following specification to be read in conjunction with the sheet of drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sponge mop having one embodiment of a wringing apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the sponge mop and wringing apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the sponge mop and wringing apparatus of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of a sponge mop of FIGURE l showing the wringing apparatus in solid outline and broken outline to illustrate the wringing action;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational View similar to FIG- URE 4 but. showing later steps in the wringing action; whereas FIGURE 6 is a rear elevational view taken along the line 6 6 of FIGURE 4, partly broken away; whereas FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a sponge mop construction with another embodiment of the wringing apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

The sponge mop construction indicated at 10 in FIG- URES l to 6 of the drawings is of the type known as a back-presser mop in the trade. The mop 10 comprises a mop head 11 including a rectangular plate 12 having an upstanding rectangular boss formation 13 centrally thereof, the plate 12 presenting along its rearward edge a plurality of hinge elements 14 which are registered with cooperating hinge elements 15 carried `by a pressure or wringer plate 16, the aforesaid hinge elements being connected by a hinge pin 17 to define a hinge or pivot formation for the pressure plate 16. Mounted centrally of the elongate sponge block supporting plate 12 is `a socket formation 18 of tubular form having its axis disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the plate 12 substantially centrally thereof but defining an acute angle with the rearward portion of plate 12.

The sponge block 19 of trapezoidal cross section, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, is provided on its upper surface with a backing 20, the backing 20 carrying threaded posts 21 `and 22 which register with openings in the plate 12, not shown. The posts 21 and 22 are secured in the openings by wing nuts 23 and 24.

A bracket 25 mounted on the tubular formation 18, above the plate member 12, and disposed forwardly, denes a pivot support for a substantially U-shaped lever formation 26 which is adapted to swing the pressure or wringer plate 16 from va substantially upright inoperative position at the rearward side of the mop head 11 to a full wringing position beneath the mop head 11 as illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, respectively.

The U-shaped lever formation 26 comprises a pair of U-shaped members 27 and 27' which lare connected by a pin 28 to the bracket 25 to define -a 4fixed pivot axis at the forward end 29. At the opposite end or rearward end 30 of the U-shaiped lever formation 26 the members 27 `and 27' are connected by a pin formation 31 which is disposed in a guide-Way formation defined by curvate aligned slots 32 and 33 formed in upstanding spaced parallel projections 34 and 35, respectively, mounted centrally on the upper surface of pressure member 16 and at substantially right angles to the hinge axis of the pressure member.

In the full wringing position the sponge block 19 has a greater thickness in the transverse direction centrally thereof than at the edges and accordingly, pressure inem- -ber 16 has a transversely curvate outline 107 accommodate the sponge thickness, the slots 32 and 33 formed in proections 34 and 35, respectively, having a similarly curvate outline.

-Slidably mounted on the handle 37 of the mop, which is securely fastened in tubular formation 18 by suitable means, is a hand grip member or sleeve 38 presenting a bracket formation 39 at its lower end. The bracket formation is pivotally connected at 40 to a somewhat V-shaped or angul-ar link 41, link 41 being pivotally secured on a pin formation 42 extending between the U- shaped members 27 and 27', link 41 -being centered on pin formation 42 by means of sleeve elements 43 and 43 to maintain the link and U-shaped lever formation Vin aligned relation at all times.

Mounted centrally ofthe hinge pin 17 is a spiral spring member 44 which biases pressure member 16 upwardly urging it at Iall times into the inoperative position and serving as the means to return the wringing apparatus to its initial position upon release of the hand -grip 3S.

To illustrate the action of the wringing apparatus reference is made to FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings.

In FIGURE 2 the inoperative position is illustrated, with the U-shaped lever formation 26 disposed with the open side 45, rearwardly downwardly, with handle 37 of the mop disposed in the recess delined by the spaced U-shaped members 2? and 27'.

Upon initial movement downwardly of the hand grip of sleeve 38, as shown in solid outlinei'n FIGURE 4, link 41 swings U-shaped lever formation 26 about its pivot pin 28 to displace end 3l) downwardly causing pin 31 to travel inwardly and downwardly along the curvate slots 32 and 33 of the pressure member guideway formation.

As illustrated in broken outline the pin 31 reaches a limit position at the inner ends of slots 32 and 33 at which point the end 30 of U-shaped lever formation 26 clears the hinge formation of pressure member 16. The next increment of movement of YU-shaped lever member 26 moves pressure member 16 pivotally forwardly about its,

hinge formation to engage the rearward portion of sponge block 19 compressing it progressively forwardly and upwardly to expel any absorbed liquid.

' Progressive movement forwardly and upwardly of the pressure member 16 is accomplished by reason of the Y is illustrated in FIGURE 5 Ywith the pin formation 31 .A

of U-shaped lever formation 26 approaching the outer ends of curvate slots 32 and33. Also in FIGURE 5 it is seen that link formation 41 is conformed around the rearward portion of the pressure member 16 and in its lowermost position is urged tightly upwardly against pressure member 16 Vto provide an additional clamping -action.

It will be readily appreciated that upon release of hand grip member 38 the faction of spiral spring 44 swings the wringing apparatus rearwardly returning it to the position of FIGURE 2.

To illustrate the application of the invention toa mop of the type known in the trade as a front presser mop, reference is madeito FIGURE 7 of the drawings. In FIGURE 7 a mop head formation 5G is provided with a tubular socket formation 51inclined rearwardly thereof,

the socket formation 51 being fitted with a handle member 52.

Hingedly connected along the forward edge of mop head formation Sti is a curvate pressure or wringer member 53 which is adapted to swing from a position in front of the mop head and disposed upwardly thereabove as illustrated in solid outline xto a Yfull wringing position shown in broken outline.

Mounted on the upper surface of the pressure member 53 is a curvate guideway formation 54'presenting curvate slots 55 which are adapted to cooperate with pin means 5S carried by the outer end of an U-shaped lever form-ation 57, the lever formation 57 being mounted to swing on a fixed pivot 53 which is substantially parallel to the ihinge axis of the pressure member 53. The U-shaped lever form-ation 57 is preferably constructed of spaced apart U-shaped members, similar to .-the construction illustrated in FIGURES l to 6, inclusive, whereby the U-shaped lever formation defines a recess to receive the tubular socket formation 51 and handle 52 of the mop device.

Pivotally connected between a hand grip member 62 shown partly broken away and U-shaped lever formation 57, -as at 59 `and 61, is a link member 6G, the link member 60 having a somewhat V-sha-ped or angular configuration whereby the U-shaped lever formation can be swung to urge the pressure member 53 into the full wringing position. In a similar manner the wringing apparatus of FIGURE 7 may be swung throughout the range of positions illustrated as in the ease of the mop device of FIGURES l to 6, inclusive` It will be appreciated that for both front presser and back presser mops a wringing apparatus has been provided which will operate under the reoiprooation of a member mounted slidably on .the handle xto swing the pressure member iirst from an inoperative position out of the way of the mopping surface of a sponge block to a full wringing position below the mop head formation. The wringing apparatus is of simple construction but durable and requires but a minimum of effort to operate.

It is pointed out that two preferred embodiments 0f `the wringing apparatus have been described and illustrated herein but that persons skilled in the art may make variations and modifications of the structure without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a mop, a mop head for a compressible mopping element, -a presser plate hinged to said mop head to swing from `an inoperative position above and at one side of said mop head to a wringing position therebeneath, a guideway formation mounted on said presser plate and extending at substantially right angles to its hinge axis, an inverted `U-shaped lever formation pivotally mounted on said mop head at one end with the other end vpivotally and slidably engaging with 4said guidew-ay formation of said presser pla-te and being adapted to swing said presser plate from theinoperative position to the wringing position and reversely, and means for actuating said U-shaped lever formation.

2. A device according -to claim l in which said means for actuating said U-shaped lever comprises a hand gripping means slidably mounted on said handle and a link member connected between said hand gripping means and said U-shaped lever.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which said link member has an elongated V-shaped configuration which is arranged to dispose its lowermost end below said mop head with said presser plate moved into the wringing position.

4. In a device according to claim 1 in which said U-shaped lever comprises .a pair of U-shaped members arranged in spaced aligned parallel relation and connected by pin means at each end.

5. A device according to claim 1 in which said guideway formation comprises a pair of spaced upstanding plates extending substantially perpendicularly to the hinge axis of said presser plate, each of said npstanding plates having a curvate slot formation of like outline and arranged in aligned relation.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which said mop head and presser plate are provided with spring means to bias said presser plate out of the wringing posi-tion with said mop head.

7. A device according to claim 1 in which `said mop head comprises an elongated plate member having longitudinal substantially parallel front and rear edges, said elongated plate member presenting an upstanding handlereceiving socket lformation substantially centrally thereof, the axis of said socket formation being inclined to said plate member and defining an acute angle with the rearward portion of ythe plate member.

References Cited in the iile 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,251,384 Thomas Aug. 5, 1941 2,786,220 Schloemer Mar. 26, 1957 2,896,235 Clements July 28, 1959 2,959,799 Greenleaf et al Nov. 15, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 715,825 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1954 

